Sexual Assault / Inadequate Security

At The Dickson Firm we handle cases involving sexual assault — including nursing home residents who are sexually assaulted — as well as other types of Sexual Assault. We are very proud of our longstanding relationship with the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center. We have worked with them for many years finding justice for the victims who they help. It is one of our core beliefs that we will only pursue a case of sexual assault if we believe that it will be in the best interest of our client, emotionally an otherwise. We have successfully pursued sexual assault cases, even where the criminal prosecution of the assailant failed. Often our victories in civil court have helped our clients find closure.

Our Attorneys for Assault Victims

Our attorneys have handled many cases involving assault, sexual assault, and other injuries as a result of inadequate security, negligent hiring, and other negligence. We are devoted to the rights of individuals, including women, children, and others who have been victimized by sexual violence and other kinds of violence.

The attorneys at The Dickson Firm fully understand how difficult it may be to discuss a sexual assault or other incident of violence. We meet with our clients wherever it makes them most comfortable. Some clients find it easier to talk with us in the privacy of our office. Some clients prefer us to come to their home. Wherever you need us to be, to make you the most comfortable as we discuss your case, it is our pleasure to accommodate you in every way that we can.

We understand that even though you were the victim, it may be difficult to discuss the incident and/or your injuries. Through our extensive nursing home practice, we represent numerous nursing home residents who are the victims of violence in nursing homes. We represent victims of assaults by nursing home staff, other residents, and even visitors to the nursing home. We understand how devastating it can be for an elderly nursing home resident to be assaulted in their room at the nursing home. This is the equivalent of being assaulted in their home.

We also understand the devastating consequences of anyone who has been the victim of sexual violence in any context, whether at the hands of a stranger or an acquaintance. We also thoroughly understand the devastating consequences for children who are victims of any type of violence. We are devoted and committed to holding people responsible who would cause injury to women, children, or any of our clients in any context. We work closely with our clients' counselors and therapists to make sure that we only do what is in their best interests. Our only focus in these cases is to help our client in whatever way we can. Sometimes that means holding the wrongdoer accountable, obtaining financial compensation or a jury verdict against that wrongdoer to hold them responsible for their actions. Sometimes that means making the decision not to pursue the case. Whatever best facilitates the healing process for our client is always the course of action that we choose. We have pursued wrongdoers all the way to prison, to take their depositions and hold them accountable for their acts of violence. We often work closely with the police, and the prosecutors, so that we can coordinate our efforts in pursuing a civil case with the efforts of prosecutors and the police in pursuing criminal charges against various wrongdoers.

Sometimes, we find ourselves pursing claims against the police if their actions have not been appropriate. The Dickson Firm represented a number of victims of noted Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell. In addition to claims against Mr. Sowell, we pursued the various officials who should have prosecuted and incarcerated Mr. Sowell long before he injured and killed as many people as he did.

The Dickson Firm has made a commitment to stand up for victims of violence as well as victims of malpractice, abuse and neglect.

If you would like to talk with one of our attorneys, call 1-800-OHIO-LAW (1-800-644-6529). We are happy to meet with you and talk with you in whatever way makes you comfortable. You have our assurance that what you share with us will remain confidential unless you authorize us to pursue your case and share what you have explained to us with others.

Sometimes the victims of violence feel as if they have nowhere to turn. If you are reading this, please know that that is not true. Even if the decision is ultimately made not to pursue your case, there are still many ways that we can help you, including the referral to a number of different agencies who may be able to help you, as well as the referral to counselors, therapists, and other healthcare individuals, who have made it their mission to assist victims and aid in their recovery.

If you or someone you love has been the victim of violence, know that we are here for you and ready to listen when you are ready to talk.

From The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

• Every 9 seconds in the US, a woman is assaulted or beaten.
• On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.
• 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have been victims of [some form of] physical violence by an intimate partner within their lifetime.
• 1 in 5 women and 1 in 7 men have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime.
• 1 in 7 women and 1 in 18 men have been stalked by an intimate partner during their lifetime to the point in which they felt very fearful or believed that they or someone close to them would be harmed or killed.
• On a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls placed to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.
• The presence of a gun in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%.
• Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.
• Women between the ages of 18-24 are most commonly abused by an intimate partner.
• 19% of domestic violence involves a weapon.
• Domestic victimization is correlated with a higher rate of depression and suicidal behavior.
• Only 34% of people who are injured by intimate partners receive medical care for their injuries.

Rape

• 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men in the United States has been raped in their lifetime.
• Almost half of female (46.7%) and male (44.9%) victims of rape in the United States were raped by an acquaintance. Of these, 45.4% of female rape victims and 29% of male rape victims were raped by an intimate partner.

Stalking

• 19.3 million women and 5.1 million men in the United States have been stalked in their lifetime.
• 60.8% of female stalking victims and 43.5% men reported being stalked by a current or former intimate partner.

Homicide

• A study of intimate partner homicides found that 20% of victims were not the intimate partners themselves, but family members, friends, neighbors, persons who intervened, law enforcement responders, or bystanders.
• 72% of all murder-suicides involve an intimate partner; 94% of the victims of these murder suicides are female.

Children and Domestic Violence

• 1 in 15 children are exposed to intimate partner violence each year, and 90% of these children are eyewitnesses to this violence.

Economic Impact

• Victims of intimate partner violence lose a total of 8.0 million days of paid work each year.
• The cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $8.3 billion per year.
• Between 21-60% of victims of intimate partner violence lose their jobs due to reasons stemming from the abuse.
• Between 2003 and 2008, 142 women were murdered in their workplace by their abuser, 78% of women killed in the workplace during this timeframe.

Physical / Mental Impact

• Women abused by their intimate partners are more vulnerable to contracting HIV or other STI’s due to forced intercourse or prolonged exposure to stress.
• Studies suggest that there is a relationship between intimate partner violence and depression and suicidal behavior.
• Physical, mental, and sexual and reproductive health effects have been linked with intimate partner violence including adolescent pregnancy, unintended pregnancy in general, miscarriage, stillbirth, intrauterine hemorrhage, nutritional deficiency, abdominal pain and other gastrointestinal problems, neurological disorders, chronic pain, disability, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Victims of domestic violence are also at higher risk for developing addictions to alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.